Quick question...

Scripture power!

As a family we've been reading scriptures every night at dinner time. It's been such a great thing for our family. The boys love hearing the scripture stories and looking at the pictures. They even will remember them when we try to tie them into every day situations. It's been a blessing in our family and really can feel a difference reading them each night. Carter even got up a couple months ago in sacrament meeting to bear his testimony about how he "loves reading the scriptures and knows they are true." It probably doesn't hurt that they get treats after dinner if they remember to remind us. It's cute though hearing them both shout as soon as I call them for dinner, "FAMILY SCRIPTURE STUDY!!!" Bryce says it at every meal.

Bryce's favorite story in the new testament is "cutting the baby in half." The story about King Solomon. For several days after reading the story, he kept asking to re-read it each night. He also liked Jonah and the Whale.
Carter's favorite story was Abraham and Isaac. He was so concerned that "what if God didn't make it in time and Abraham really did kill Isaac?" etc.
(In asking Carter his favorite story, he also said, after Abraham and Isaac, "I kind of liked all of them."

While I was teaching pilates last night, Brady and the boys finished the Old Testament (Scripture Reader Style). When we finished the Book of Mormon as a family, we went to Chuck E Cheeses to celebrate. Last night, Brady said to the boys, "we'll have to plan another Chuck E Cheese visit".... and then in the same sentence said, "actually, let's talk to mommy first." Carter said, "yeah, because mommy knows everything." What a smart boy I have. LOL.

Easter in June

(How handsome are these boys in their matching shirts and ties)???
I am so behind in blogging events that I've wanted to, so here is a brief catch up with pics. First of all, Easter. It was a lot of fun. We have 1pm church so plenty of time for Easter festivities first. We found Easter baskets and then colored eggs. We went over to my parents house to meet up with the rest of the family after church for dinner. This year in their baskets, we filled it with little treats and then some tracks and a new train for their geo-trax set which they LOVE and are so into right now. Carter wants to make our house into a "geo trax city" and lets me know things we need to get rid of to make that happen. Entertainment center, couch, TV... you know 'extra' things like that. :)
(Bryce finding his Easter basket hidden in between the couch and wall)
(Carter's basket was in the boys bathroom in the cabinet above the toilet).
(Hmmm.... what's in here)?
(guess he liked whatever it was)!
(So excited about the trains, he didn't even eat his treats... for about 20 minutes anyways)
(Egg time)
(Why is it kids don't like eating the yolk? I remember throwing that part away too as a kid. But as a parent who buys the eggs, it makes me a little nuts. Just eat it)!
And the day before Easter, we went to Butler's Orchard to go to "Bunnyland." It was really fun and cute. They had a duck derby, tractor trikes, barn to pet animals, huge sack slides, little egg hunt, playground area, and a hayride. The boys had a blast!
(These slides were so fast! Check out Bryce's hair. He was a little daredevil and would not let Brady or myself go with him)

(They got to pet little chicks and bunnies).
(romping in the haypit)


(Carter very pleased with himself for lapping everyone on the tractor trike track and for learing how to do monkey bars by himself and even flip backwards and drop. Way to go Carter)!

Caterpillar fun

(apparently caterpillars and worms get along fine when stuffed into a cage together... gross!)


(team work finding caterpillars)







Bryce is my bug/animal lover. Everything and anything that is moves, breaths, or is fluffy or furry or slimy and bumpy... he loves. Every time it rains, he's outside "saving" the worms. He picks them up off the street and/or sidewalk and into the grass. He uses a cute, high pitched voice while talking to them and says things like, "it's o-tay little wormy, Brycie sabe you" or "dare you go little guy." It is cute to watch how gentle and sweet he is. Sometimes when they (or any bug) is dead or squished, he is sad for a second then says, "oh, poor little guy. He dead. That's o-tay. He happy. He in Heaven now."
A few weeks ago anyways, I decided to get the boys these bug catchers. Carters preschool has a huge open field out front with several butterflies and moths the kids ran around trying to catch for over an hour each time. Then of course, caterpillar season came about in May and oh the fun the boys had- especially Bryce. Carter is more into animals and flying things where Bryce doesn't care at all. The more slimy, sticky the better. :)
Bryce reminds me of my little sister Brooke in a way because she would love caterpillars, so much so, that she would put them in her pockets (which I've caught Bryce doing) and my mom would find them in the lint trap later of the dryer. Brooke would also want to sleep with her "pets." I caught Bryce doing the same thing and couldn't help but take pictures.

(laying in bed with caterpillar)
(tucking it in with his favorite blanket)
(close up of the comfy caterpillar).

"What kind of dog do you have?"

"We don't have a dog" is the answer to the question asked to Carter by random neighbor-people as he hands out dog bones to each dog he sees pass our house- (or within eye distance of our house). Seriously, today, he ran after a woman and her dog (no, I didn't know them and yes I'm serious) and shouts, "excuse me lady! Excuse me lady!!" (Bryce running after him to keep up) And when she finally slows down, looks at him perplexed and he asks if he can give her dog a milk bone. This is usually when they question, "what kind of dog do you have?" comes about and the reply, "we don't have a dog, these are for the dogs in the neighborhood."

Great, now we are not only "the Popsicle house" (have I told that story before)? But now we are also the "milk bone house" with no dogs. I get the Popsicle thing... Carter and Bryce like Popsicles, but I think they like even more to distribute them to the entire neighborhood community- okay, just the kids most of the time, but we've got a lot of kids here in this townhouse area at the end of a cul-de-sac (how the heck to you spell that anyways)???
Anyways, we go through Popsicles like they are going out of style b/c we eat one each day and pass out about 10.
However, we don't have a dog (or any pet for that matter), my kids don't eat milk bones (that I know of) and we have a box of milk bones for the dogs who happen to pass. And if by chance they don't pass, don't be too surprised if my boys appear on your doorstep b/c they know you have a dog and are just not bringing it out at that very moment, but they have a strong need to give it a bone- now.
So, maybe I should have Brady buy stock in Popsicles and bones and we will get our money back? Or maybe it's just more important I teach my kids how good it feels to share and serve others. Well, actually, they are the ones teaching me I guess... I'm just paying for it. :)